Abid Ali was also rewarded for his player of the match performance
24 December, 2019
PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan middle-order batsman Babar Azam has moved three places from number nine to number six in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batting rankings, after his brilliant performance in the recently concluded two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Babar is currently number one in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) rankings and has enjoyed a best ranking of second in the One-day Internationals (ODIs).
Babar Azam achieves his career-highest rating to rise to No.6 on the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Rankings for batting!
— ICC (@ICC) December 24, 2019
Updated rankings: https://t.co/UQn9xI4e8K pic.twitter.com/XFRahIlKOd
Opener Abid Ali was also rewarded for his player of the match performance in the Karachi Test and has moved to 62nd position from 78th.
India skipper Virat Kohli retained his top spot in the rankings with 928 rating points, which keeps him 17 points ahead of Australia’s Steve Smith.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is at the third spot while Indian top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is at the fourth position, followed by Australia's Marnus Labuschagne.
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Babar, who scored a hundred in the second Test in Karachi against Sri Lanka, jumped three spots to achieve his career-best ranking of 6, replacing Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane — followed by David Warner, Joe Root and Ross Taylor.
In the ICC World Test Championship, India are at the top of the table with 360 points from three series — against the West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh, who are all yet to secure any points.
Australia are in the second place with 216 points after winning the opening match of their ongoing three-Test series against New Zealand.
Pakistan have collected 60 points after victory over Sri Lanka in the Karachi Test to move to 80 points in the table at the end of the two-match series.
Sri Lanka are also on 80 points, having reached the total after the two teams drew the opening Test in Rawalpindi, which earned them 20 points each.
